Barbara Broccoli on Quantum of Solace

Barbara Broccoli, along with producer Michael G. Wilson, is in charge of the James Bond franchise, inheriting it from her late father Albert "Cubby" Broccoli. She has played a role in updating the franchise, first with Pierce Brosnan in Goldeneye and then with the reboot Casino Royale. Quantum of Solace may be the most contemporary Bond yet with the CIA meddling in South American affairs and oil vs. environmental issues.

Updating Bond Into Quantum of Solace

"We’re happy it turned out that way," Broccoli said. "You never know, when you sit a year or two ahead of making a movie whether the things that you talk about are going to be prescient. And they are. I think the film has a lot of resonance, and I think that’s one of the great successes of Marc [Forster]’s directing this film, is that you do feel that it has this resonance."

The latest Bond production was fraught with peril too. A stunt man was injured, and a prop car went over a cliff not even doing a stunt for the film itself. "The car going over the cliff was nothing to do with us or the filmmaking. That was a mechanic who was driving the Aston Martin to a press conference. He didn’t have anything to do with us. And thank goodness, he was fine. But it was nothing to do with our filming whatsoever. The other accident obviously was very serious, very, very upsetting, but our stunt man is doing well. When anybody gets hurt, it’s pretty serious, and we were very upset. He’s doing much better now."

Daniel Craig was already signed to return and continue his new evolution of James Bond. In casting the new Bond girls, Broccoli and her agents put out worldwide feelers. "Thousands, literally, thousands. Our casting director, Debbie McWilliams, had casting directors all around the world. Lots and lots were put on tape and then filtered through. Then eventually we ended up screen-testing, I think, about five women."

Olga Kurylenko won the part of Camille when she clicked with Craig in person. "She did the screen test with Daniel, and we just were very, very moved by her performance. She was able, because it’s very important for this character to have a lot of mystery, you have to know there’s something going on there, and you’re not quite sure what it is. When she does eventually reveal everything, you have to see, underneath this very tough exterior, there’s the vulnerability. And she moved us, in the screen test, and that was that."